


Two Grey Hairs

by Graphite_crumble



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Ageing, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Married Life, Mind Reading, wedding vows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-08
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-04-08 06:18:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4293969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graphite_crumble/pseuds/Graphite_crumble
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reader panics over ageing. it shouldn't be a big deal, but things are different when you're married to an Archangel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Grey Hairs

**Author's Note:**

> Reader started dating Gabriel at 19, married him at 23 and is 39 when this story takes place. 
> 
> Y/N - Your name

Two strands of grey hair had reduced you to tears. It was so pathetic, it was almost funny, but you weren’t laughing. You stared at your reflection in the bathroom mirror, eyes red from your recent crying. Were the lines beside your eyes deeper? You touched them nervously, as you scrutinised your reflection, picking out and mentally magnifying anything you could consider a sign of ageing.

“Stop this.” you told yourself sternly as you realised what you were doing. You gave your eyes one final wipe with the tissue you’d used to mop up your tears and threw it into the trash can before exiting the bathroom.

Sitting on the bed, you picked up your wedding photo from the night-stand, staring at it. You’d gained a few pounds and your hairstyle had changed, but you were still easily recognisably as the joyful woman in the photograph, taken almost 16 years ago. At 39, the fact you hadn’t found grey hairs before now was almost miraculous. That you were ageing wasn’t really the problem. It was your groom that bothered you.

Gabriel smiled out at you from the photograph, his face positively glowing with happiness. Sure he changed his hair sometimes, and occasionally shape-shifted into entirely different people, but the passing years had left him unchanged. Immortality was just one of the many perks of being an Archangel.

When you’d first started dating, people would sometimes stare at the two of you. You were 19; he appeared to be in his thirties: Society didn’t approve all that much. Of course, nobody knew the real age gap between you and one of the first beings ever created. Gabriel himself couldn’t count it.

But the years had rolled by, and soon people stopped staring. Well, at least they didn’t stare because of the age gap. No, now the friends you’d made began to comment on how good Gabriel looked for his age. Gabriel had joked about proper skincare and the benefits of an active sex life, but looking back, that was the first time you’d worried about the differences between you.

A demon attack on your house had provided you with bigger things to worry about. Once Hell got wind of Gabriel’s whereabouts, your home was no longer safe. The two of you had moved for the first time, three years after your wedding. Simply disappeared into the night and cut all ties with the life you’d built. There were no longer any friends in your life to point out that Gabriel didn’t age. At a new house, thousands of miles from your old one, Gabriel lay with you in his arms, consumed by guilt at endangering you and apologising over and over again. You’d told him what you would go on to tell him the next 7 times you were forced to move: it didn’t matter; you could make new friends; he was worth it; you knew what you were in for when you married him.

And you had known, you really had. Standing beside him at the altar, you knew your life wouldn’t be normal, and you hadn’t cared. You loved him, and he loved you and nothing else mattered; not the children you would never have, or the beautiful houses that were always temporary; the five attacks from the forces of hell, or the three occasions hunters had come tracking what they thought was a trickster. But now…

You felt tears welling up again and you put the photograph back in its place, your heart aching. Once, people had thought you were too young for him. Now, they thought you were the same age. Soon, would they think you were his older sister? His mother? His _grandmother_?

You had promised to spend your lives together, but your short mortal existence was a far cry from his infinite celestial one. Would he still love you when you were a wrinkled old lady and he was just as young and handsome as ever? How long until he no longer wanted to make love to you, or kiss you good morning, or call you beautiful?

It was too much to contemplate. You curled up on top of the bed and wept. Two strands of grey hair and your marriage was over, you were sure of it.

“What happened? Are you hurt?” Gabriel’s panicked voice made you jump. He knelt on the bed behind you, leaning over to see your face. You turned further into the bed, reluctant to let him see your tears. His hand gently pulled at your shoulder and you gave in, rolling over to face him. His expression was one of surprise, closely followed by concern. “Babe, what’s wrong?”

You shook your head, too upset to speak. Gabriel slipped his arms beneath you and pulled you to his chest. You buried your face against his shoulder and wrapped your arms around his neck, breathing in the comforting, familiar, scent of your husband. The thought of losing him was unbearable. You pushed it away and willed yourself to calm down.

“You’re supposed to be in Vegas.” You said, somewhat hoarsely, once you stopped crying. A co-worker at Gabriel’s new cover job was getting married and Gabriel had been invited to the bachelor weekend.

“Left an illusion in my place. The guys don’t even know I’m gone.” Gabriel replied. “I felt your distress; I thought someone was hurting you.”

“I’m sorry. I…I found a grey hair. Two grey hairs. And I just…I…” you shrugged hopelessly, aware of how ridiculous it sounded. “Just look.”

“At your hair?” asked Gabriel, raising an eyebrow.

“No.”

You took his hand and placed it against your temple. He raised the other eyebrow in surprise. You rarely allowed him to read your mind. Flying around the world in an instant and fighting demons, you could handle but having your husband dig around your brain was somehow the thing that ruined the illusion that you had a normal marriage.

“Are you sure you can’t explain?” asked Gabriel, knowing how you felt about it.

You shook your head. How could you ever voice the idea of him no longer loving you? You fought back tears and placed your fingers over his.

Letting Gabriel read your mind was like having a sliver of brain-freeze burrowing into you. It was repulsively unpleasant, and sharp. Your thoughts and feelings swelled and tumbled, images of the Gabriel-less future your imagination had created flashing before your eyes. Your heart felt like it might burst from the pain, but in the space of a second it was over and he withdrew.

“Oh.” Gabriel exclaimed softly as he comprehended what you had put yourself through in the past half hour. “Oh no, Y/N, no.” he shook his head, looking at you in the foolishly love-struck way he so often did. He leant forward and gave you a flurry of quick, light kisses before cupping your face in his hands, his thumbs brushing your cheekbones as he gazed into your eyes. “Never.”

You let out a sob and clung to him, his hands dropping to your waist.

“Don’t you ever let yourself think that again, ok?” he said in your ear. “I love you. I will always love you. And I’m not going anywhere.”

“But I’ll get old…” you complained.

“And you will still be the most beautiful creature my father ever created.”

“People will think I’m your mother.”

“Says who?” Gabriel leant back and you watched him change before your eyes. His dark blonde hair grew lighter and thinner until it was wispy and grey, and his skin wrinkled, ageing decades in a few seconds. The only thing that didn’t change were his beautiful golden eyes.

“Now the question is, will _you_ still love _me_ when we’re old _?_ ” he joked and instantly you knew everything would be ok. “What do you reckon? One hot grandpa, right? Although maybe I can keep a little more hair…Should I lose some weight? Or maybe gain it… I could be podgy. I _do_ like my desserts. Ooo, perhaps a beard!” He was rambling now and making the alterations as he mentioned them.

You started laughing, a few short giggles at first, but then you couldn’t stop, relief washing over you. Soon you were gasping for air and the last of your tears had either dried up or fallen as you fell back on the bed, your lungs and stomach burning.

Gabriel changed back into his usual gorgeous form and gently stroked a hand down your stomach, removing the aches as you recovered from the unexpected fit of laughter. You propped yourself back up on your arms and stared at him, falling in love with him again for the third time that week.

“I never bothered with ageing in the past because you’re younger than my vessel. But I thought about this before I even asked you to marry me.” Gabriel explained, serious now. “I want to grow old with you. And I don’t care if that means I end up feeding you or changing you or helping you go to the bathroom. You’re my wife.” He paused before continuing. “You’re human. You have one short life and you’ve chosen to spend it with me. There is no greater gift in all of creation. I have nothing so precious to offer, but if I had…”

“I would give it to you.” You finished, your heart swelling as he repeated his wedding vows to you.

Gabriel kissed you tenderly, almost nervously, and you felt his grace brush against your mind. Unlike mind reading, psychic suggestion was warm and radiated with love. He projected the memory of your first kiss as husband and wife. The way he was kissing you now was a near-perfect match.

“I love you, Y/N.” he told you when you broke apart.

“I love you too.” you replied. You smiled, feeling slightly foolish for letting your worries escalate so quickly.

Gabriel moved up the bed so he could lie down, and wrapped his arms around you. You snuggled up together and he started telling you how the bachelor party was going so far, the distraction chasing the last of your anxiety away. Eventually, you rolled away from him, your fears vanquished entirely.

“It sounds great. You should probably get back.” you told him.

“You sure? I could stay.”

“I’m sure. Plus they won’t be having any real fun without you.” You smiled and he rose to leave. “Oh, and Gabe?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re going to be a very handsome old man.”

He laughed and lent over to give you one last goodbye kiss before disappearing silently. You flopped back onto the bed, reassured.

Two grey hairs. Nothing to worry about.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always appreciated! :)


End file.
